Ore-separator.



R. E. NELSON.

ORE SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION man Aue.3o. |911.

Patented July 9, 1918.

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R.E.NELSON.

ORE SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.3o.,1917,

Patented July 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY ROBERT E. NELSON, OF KEYSTONE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

ORE-SEPARATOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July e, 191s..

Application filed August 30, 191-7. Serial No. 189,008.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. NELSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Keystone, in the county of Pennington and State of South Dakota, have invented newl and useful Improvements in Ore-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ore separators or concentrators and the object is to provide in connection with a suitable chute or sluiceway having riflies and other gold separating devices therein, one or more pressure chambers each having a comparatively wide opening at the top protected by a screen and a restricted opening at the bottom, these pressure chambers discharging into receptacles provided with separating material of a brous nature, and the upper edges of the chambers and receptacles being provided with flanged portions producing eddy currents and assisting in the separation of the gold from ythe refuse material.

Other objects will appear from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings :d

In these drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view.`

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section.

Fig. 3 is a view showing lthe sluiceway formed in sections. y

The separator includes a iume 10 oi' suitablel size and capacity, the bottom 12 of which is provided with an `opening communicating with the transversely extending member 18 constituting a chute or sluiceway through which the material passes during the process ot separation, the lower end of the sluicewayl where the tailings are discharged being designated 16. The opening in the bottom of Hume 12 is covered with a screen 17 and the initial separation takes place at this point. A gate. 18 may be provided at the upper end of portion 14 of the sluiceway. The various members of the separator arev mounted to provide an incline corresponding with the character of the materialto betreated, the degree of inclination being greater than that usually provided in the operation of similar apparatus.

The upper portion 14 of the sluiceway is provided with a series of riies 20 for eecting partial separation and with a covering of fibrous material such as cocoa matting at a point adjacent to the ritfles `tor effecting further separation.

Below that portion of the sluiceway designated 14E is an intermediate portion provided with one or more hydraulic pressure chambers 20 and 21, these chambers having communication with openings in the bottom of the intermediate section 18 and beingcovered-by a wire screen or the like shown at 23. A depressed portion 24 extends from one wall ofthe upper pressure chamber and communicates with the bottom portion of member 18 at a point somewhat removed from said chamber 2O in order to provide a passageway within which fine sand and gold may collect, such material passing through the screen and being on its way to said pressure chamber 20. The upper portion of chamber 20is provided with an inwardly and downwardly extending flanged portion 25, this portion also extending transversely of the Asluiceway and producing eddy currents yfor assisting in the control and separation of the material. A similar pressure chamber 21 is located below chamber 2O and no further description in connection with that chamber need be added. Each chamber 20 and 21 is provided with a restricted lower portion having an opening 26 therein through which the material passes to a pipe 27 or 28 extending downwardly and conducting the fine sand and gold toa receptacle 29 or 30 properly positioned within a sluiceway or plurality of sluiceways 34 extending transversely with reference to the main sluiceway and having a downward inclination. v l

- Each receptacle is ot a capacity suited to the capacity of thel apparatus as a whole and the lower end ot the pipe extending into the receptacle terminates at a point above thebottomof said receptacle. A further collecting device is located in each receptacle and is shown at 36 and 37. Cocoa matting is also employed as a suitable material tor the separating device or devices last-named and each piece of matting is held in position by means of a weight 38 or 39 both the separating device and the weight being` removable for the purpose of cleaning the separating material or matting and for washing out the gold collected thereby.

Each receptacle is provided at its upper end with an inwardly and downwardly eX- tending flange 39 which produces eddy currents and facilitates in very great degree cured has an important bearing upon the operation of the device. The water is free from excessive agitation and the particles of gold will be gradually carried downwardly into the fibrous material in the bottom of the receptacles receiving the discharge from the pipes. These particles of gold will be held by the matting or brous material, the water flowing out of the top of the receptacles, but being retarded and eddy currents being formed inview of the peculiar construction of the upper portions of the receptacles. The dirt and sand rise to the top and are washed away. The weight 38 for holding the matting in thevreceptacles comprises a ring member formed of cast iron or the like.

A piece of cocoa matting 42 is located above the screen 23, and matting is also provided in the sluiceways 34 as shown at 43.

In Fig. 3 I have shown how the sluiceway mav be formed in sections to permit of easy transportation, and have shown a piece of matting 46 over the top of the sluiceway, for directing floating gold downwardly into the pressure chamber 20.

The material passing downwardly through flume 10 is discharged through the screen therein, and through gate 18 into sluiceway 18 passing over riifles 20 and then over mat 42 and screen 23, being deiiected downwardly, in `the form shown in Fig. 3, by mat 46. y

Portions of the material pass into the first pressure chamber or catch basin 20 and are discharged into receptacle 29, and other portions pass to catch basin 21 and are discharged into receptacle 30. '.'Ihe deflecting devices 25 assist in this operation. The lighter portion of the material passes over the lower fibrous mat 40 where any valuable material remaining will be collected so far as it is possible to effect that result, the tailings passing from the lower end of the sluiceway. Y

Some of the material passes into the re- Copies of this patent may be obtained for fve cents each,by'addressing` the Commissioner of l Washington, D. C.

ceptacles, as above indicated, and is caught by the fibrous material in the bottom thereof, and other portions are caught by the flanged members 39', the material remaining being caught by mat 43.

What is claimed is 1. In a separator, the combination of a trough like conductor for the flow of the gold bearing material and water, and separatory devices along the length of the conductor, each comprising a catch basin having a constricted .outlet at the bottom thereof, a separating receptacle communicating with said outlet, and a screen extending across the top of both basins, a sheet of fibrous materialv spacedfrom that first named for directing a current through the screen into said basin last named, and means projecting from the edges of the catch basins into the path of the current for deflecting the material carried thereby.

2. In a device of the class described, a sluiceway, a catch basin connected therewith and having an outlet portion, a pipe connected with the outlet portion, a receptacle into which the pipe discharges, and

removable defiecting devices within the re- Y ceptacles each comprising an annular member having a central opening and having inwardly and downwardly turned flanges adjacent to the openings, said flanges being concentric with reference to the discharge pipe and of greater diameter than the latter, and fibrous material located within the bottom of the receptacle.

3. In a separator, a sluiceway having a depressed portion formed in `the bottom thereof, a chamber having an upper portion communicating with said depressed portion and having a narrow lower portion provided with an exit aperture, said chamber being formed .with inclined 'walls extending transversely of the sluiceway and a flanged portion extending from one inclined wall at the upper edge thereof toward the middle of thechamber and in a direction o-pposite to that in which the material to be separated is caused to travel and said 'depressed portion having a second chamber below that first named and formed with inclinedV walls and a narrowerlower portion, vthe edge of the depressed portion terminating in a hanged portion extending in the same direction as the flanged portion first named, but

being located at a higher level, anda screen connecting the flange of the depressed portion with the upper edge of said depressedV portion. Y

In testimony whereof I'aiiix my signature.

ROBERT n. NELsoN'. c

Patents, 

